Shadow's First Christmas
by The Brawler
Summary: Shadow doesn't understand Christmas, and he doesn't want to. So, Rouge organises a surprise Christmas party, which soon leads Shadow to learn the true meaning of Christmas


**Here's a Christmas one-shot for all my fans! Enjoy**

Shadow's First Christmas

The city of Westopolis was preparing for one of the most anticipated holidays of the year: Christmas! The entire city was covered in a blanket of snow, forcing people to walk but no one seemed to mind. Children played in the snow as their parents went into the many shops looking for the essentials to a lovely Christmas. There was one person however who wasn't feeling the Christmas cheer.

Shadow the Hedgehog made his way through the streets, his black and red scarf flapping in the wind as he shot forward. He had received contact from the GUN Commander and had been called into take part in something important. Whatever it was, Shadow was looking forward to it. He was getting bored stiff by everything that was going on around him. Just what did these people see about this pointless occasion? Especially with everything that's happened, what with the whole planet breaking apart a few months ago. Yet they seemed to not notice, confusing the black hedgehog even more.

He noticed several people setting up Christmas lights on buildings and even a giant Christmas tree in the centre of the city. Why a tree?! Why did people give each other presents? Why did they decorate their houses with some flashy stuff? It hurt his head just thinking abut it.

"I'll never understand how their minds work" he said to himself as he approached the main GUN building. "At least here, people know how to behave."

As Shadow entered the building, he was met with a sight that made his jaw drop. The whole place was covered in Christmas decorations! GUN soldiers could be seen dressed up as elves, snowmen and reindeer as they hung up tinsel, multi-coloured lights and a strange looking plant Shadow didn't recognise. There was even a tree in the centre of the hall.

"What the hell?!" the black hedgehog cried out.

"Ah, Shadow!"

At the sound of his name, the Ultimate Life-Form swung round to see the Commander. He had a pair of fake antlers and a red nose on his face which looked slightly comical as he was still wearing his standard commander uniform. Shadow didn't see the funny side though.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "It's Christmas. We need to get this place ready so we can all be in good cheer as the holidays kick in" he explained with a smile on his face. "That's why I called you in. The more help the better."

"The important mission is to hang up some tatty decorations and weird plants?!" Shadow nearly shouted, remembering that this was the Commander he was talking to.

"They're not tatty" the Commander replied. "They honestly make the place look better. Also, that's mistletoe."

"Mistletoe?" Shadow repeated. "What's that?"

"If two people are under it, it's traditional for them to kiss" the Commander explained. "Now, get to work."

Shadow stood there gawking as the Commander strolled off. How could he be expected to take part in this stupid occasion? His thoughts were interrupted as another familiar voice was heard.

"Well, look who's here."

Shadow turned round to see his co-workers, Rouge and Omega. The hulking robot didn't seem any different but Rouge was dressed in red, fluffy clothing and black boots. She still wore white gloves but she also had on a red hat with a white ball on the end.

"It's about time you showed up" she scolded. "Come on, there's still a few rooms to decorate."

"What are you wearing?" Shadow asked, wondering what Rouge was supposed to be.

"It's a Santa uniform" she said, matter-of-factly. "I would've worn something a bit more appealing to the guys but it's freezing out there."

Shadow still showed signs of confusion. "But why?"

"Um, coz it's Christmas?" Rouge replied.

"So what?!" Shadow shouted. "This is no time for some trivial matters!"

"Christmas isn't trivial" the bat told him. "Look around you, Shadow. Everyone's enjoying themselves."

"How can they though?" the irritated hedgehog asked. "The world was nearly consumed by darkness a few months ago!"

Rouge rolled her eyes. "But it's over Shadow. It's been taken care of. Besides, people have recovered from worse. Remember the Black Arms invasion? Everyone had a lovely Christmas after that."

Shadow was even more stunned. "Hundreds of people died that year! How can they celebrate after that?!"

"Christmas helps bring people together" Rouge explained. "It also allows people to show how much they care for one another."

Shadow was still finding it hard to believe. "But why are WE doing this? Eggman could attack any moment! We shouldn't be dawdling with this crap!"

Rouge sighed, "You don't know about the Earth/Robotnik pact, do you?" she asked.

Shadow shook his head so Rouge dragged him to the team's office where she went to the computer and showed him something from the archives. It was a newspaper clipping of Eggman shaking hands with the President as they wore Santa hats. Shadow was beginning to find this ridiculous.

"What is this?" he asked.

Rouge began to explain, "Eggman made an agreement with the President that he wouldn't try and conquer the world around Christmas time and New Year's."

"This is Eggman we're talking about" Shadow said through gritted teeth. "He's probably lying!"

"Really? Look at the date."

Shadow followed the bat's finger at the date at the top of the newspaper clipping. His eyes widened.

"This was five years ago" he gasped.

Rouge nodded with a smug look on her face. "Even Egg-head loves Christmas."

Shadow merely stood there, saying nothing. Rouge became suddenly concerned for her friend.

"Are you OK, Shadow?" she asked.

The hedgehog then turned to Omega. "Tell me, Omega. What do you think about all this?"

"I can only answer with this" responded Omega, before pressing a button on his wrist. Suddenly, 'Jingle Bell Rock' blurted out of the robot. Shadow shook his head in despair as he left the room and walked out the building. Rouge felt sorry for him.

"Why doesn't he get it?" she asked Omega.

The robot looked down at her. "The only logical explanation is that Shadow has never experienced Christmas."

Rouge nodded in agreement before a smile slowly appeared on her face. "Then, let's give him one!"

* * *

A week had passed and it was now the 24th December, Christmas Eve! But that was the last thing on Shadow's mind. Apparently, a band of terrorists were hiding out in an abandoned mansion in the woods outside Westopolis and Shadow and Rouge were sent to infiltrate it. The two were waiting outside it, the bat handing Shadow a pistol.

"OK, Rouge. On three" he told her. Rouge simply nodded. Shadow counted down with his fingers as he mouthed the words. Once he reached three, he kicked the double doors wide open and charged in.

"Alright, get on the ground and…" he started but stopped when he noticed that the mansion was far from old and abandoned. It was completely colourful and decorations covered the walls.

"Rouge, what is…" he began to ask but he heard a clanging sound and turned to see Rouge placing an iron bar across the door.

"Seriously, what the hell?" he asked, before suddenly…

"SURPRISE!!!"

Shadow whipped round and saw a group of people emerge from another doorway. It was Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Cream and Cheese.

"What's up, Shadow?" asked Sonic, a cheeky grin on his face.

"Again, what the hell?" the black hedgehog repeated.

"Rouge brought us all here so we could give you a proper Christmas" explained Amy.

"Yep, the owner of the place allowed us to borrow it until Boxing Day" Tails told him.

"And no one is allowed to leave until tomorrow morning" said Rouge.

"But why?" Shadow questioned.

"Because we want you to understand Christmas so you know why we love it" Cream said.

Shadow was speechless. He stood there gaping until Knuckles spoke. "So, what shall we do first?"

"NOTHING!!!" Shadow yelled. "I don't give a damn about this stupid holiday! What is the point?!"

Everyone was stunned by this and suddenly went silent until Cream said "Santa won't be happy with you saying that."

"Oh come on!" Shadow spat. "How can you believe in this 'Santa'?" he asked.

"What, you don't believe in him?" asked Knuckles.

"I can give several reasons why he doesn't exist" Shadow continued. "One, how can someone that big fit down a chimney?! Two, flying reindeer? Three, why would someone spend their whole life making presents for other people?"

"Because he's Santa" said Cream, in a quiet tone. "He wants to spread love around the world."

Shadow stared at the young rabbit in astonishment before sighing.

"Look Shadow" said Rouge as she approached him. "I'll make you a deal. Just give this afternoon a go and if you still don't get it, you can leave first thing tomorrow."

Shadow looked at his friend and nodded. "Fine."

Sonic clapped his hands together. "Alright then. Let's get this party started!"

* * *

Several hours later, the group had managed to completely decorate the entire mansion and were now gathered in the sitting room. Everyone was seated in comfy armchairs or on the sofa. Shadow was standing in the corner with his arms crossed. Amy had approached the group with a hat.

"Okay guys, time for Secret Santa" she said.

"Ooh, I love that" cheered Cream, with Cheese chirping in agreement.

"C'mon Shadow, you've got to take part too" Rouge called to the stubborn anti-hero.

"Fine," he sighed as he came over. "What is it though?"

"Simple" Amy began to explain. "We pick a name from the hat and whoever we got, we buy a present for but we can't tell them until we give it to them."

Shadow was about to ask why but knew that he wasn't going to get a straight answer so he approached the hat and grabbed a piece of paper that he unfolded. He sighed as he read the name. What was he supposed to get this person?

"I have a question" Knuckles said. "We're not supposed to leave the house to get these presents so…"

"This is the one exception" said Rouge. "We'll all go separately except for Shadow. You can have Cream accompany you."

Shadow cursed silently. Rouge had all the bases covered. If he so much as tried to leave, Cream would've pulled the puppy dog eyes trick, which even he couldn't resist. "Then let's get this over with."

* * *

Soon, Shadow and Cream were strolling down the high street. Shadow was once again wearing his scarf while Cream was wearing a yellow duffel coat and woolly hat to match. The rabbit then spotted a bakery and went in with Shadow following her.

"Why are we here?" he asked.

"I've got to get some cookies to give Santa when he visits" she explained. Shadow would've argued against this but decided to keep his mouth shut. The last thing he needed was a sobbing kid on his hands. Once Cream had the cookies, they left the bakery and carried on down the road.

"So, where next?" the black hedgehog asked.

"I've got to get a present for my secret Santa" the young rabbit said. "I got Mr. Sonic. Who did you get?"

Shadow didn't answer. Cream decided not to press further on the matter and immediately found the shop she was looking for.

"A shoe shop?" Shadow asked, unenthusiastically.

"I think Mr. Sonic needs a pair for winter" Cream explained before darting in, forcing Shadow to chase after her.

When he was inside, he realised that he had lost her. Cursing again, he made his way through searching for the lost rabbit. As he went along, he saw a pair of cyan shoes on a podium with a shining star next to it with a price on it. A sign next to them said "Run as fast as Sonic with these!"

Shadow was surprised that these weren't selling in droves until he saw that they cost nearly half a million rings. He then heard some voices behind him.

"So, what would you like for Christmas?"

Shadow turned to see a fat man on a chair, dressed in a red suit with black gloves and a woolly hat. He then realised that it was the same suit that Rouge wore a week ago.

_That's Santa?_ he thought to himself. He saw a little girl was on his lap and she was smiling. There was also a line of kids that seemed to be waiting for their turn. What made these people think that this guy would get them everything they wanted?

He then took a look around the store and saw everybody was busy talking to one another and he could pick out pieces of conversations.

"I've got him that new CD…"

"What should I get my mother for Christmas?"

"Do you want to come over? We have plenty of turkey."

"It costs a lot but it's worth it to see the smiles on their faces."

Shadow was slightly astonished by how lovely everybody was being. Maria would've enjoyed this. And if she was here, would he enjoy it? The atmosphere was certainly getting to him.

"Mr. Shadow?"

He jumped slightly as he realised that Cream had appeared next to him. "I've got Mr. Sonic's present. Do you want to head back now?"

Shadow nodded and they immediately left.

* * *

An hour or so later, everybody had placed their presents under the tree. Nobody knew who they were from and nobody was going to check. Also, nobody noticed that there were only six presents and seven people. Shadow still had no idea what he was supposed to get. Should he really care?

"Hey, Shadow!" Tails called out as he ran up to him. "Everybody's building a snowman outside!"

"And?" Shadow replied.

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun" Tails said, dragging Shadow outside.

"As fun as decorating?" Shadow asked sarcastically.

They walked out through the back entrance and saw everybody putting together a snowman that resembled Sonic slightly.

"Why does everything have to look like him?" the black hedgehog asked.

"I think he looks rather handsome" said Sonic.

"I prefer the real thing" said Amy, advancing towards the blue hero who began to step back.

"May I ask what's the fun seen in this snow?" Shadow asked, picking up a handful of it.

"Here's one" said Rouge, curling up a snowball and throwing it at Shadow. It splattered across his chest fur and he was taken aback. Normally, he'd be pissed off by this but he felt a slight twinge of enjoyment. He then glanced at the snow and made a snowball of his own, throwing it at Sonic.

"Oh, you're in for it now!" Sonic smirked, chucking one at Shadow who ducked, causing Knuckles to take the hit.

"Snowball fight!" he yelled, and sure enough, everybody was throwing snowballs at one another. Shadow found himself laughing as the game continued, especially whenever he got a hit. At one point, he got Sonic in the face.

"Something tells me this isn't so bad" he said to himself.

* * *

Later on, the seven had just had Christmas dinner. Everyone was stuffed aside from Sonic who was helping himself to the leftovers.

"Please, Sonic. How can you carry on eating?" asked Tails.

"Coz I'm hungry" the blue hero replied before taking another bite out of his turkey.

Rouge then pulled out something and handed it to Shadow. "Here, take this."

Shadow took it and examined it. It was a Christmas card with a nativity scene on the front. He opened it and it said:

_Dear Shadow,_

_Merry Christmas and we hope you enjoy tomorrow as much as we do_

_Love from Rouge, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream and Cheese_

Shadow was surprised by this. They knew he didn't think much of this holiday and yet they still went out of their way to get him this.

"Thanks" he said.

"No prob" said Sonic. "Now, I think we should head up now. Christmas Day tomorrow!"

"Ooh, I'm so excited!" squealed Cream.

"Calm down, Cream" said Amy, "Or you'll never get to sleep. Come on."

Once everybody had cleared up, they bid good night and went to bed.

* * *

Hours later, Shadow was still awake. He still couldn't get the idea of Christmas. He definitely found the earlier snowball fight enjoyable but he still didn't get why people thought it was such a big deal. He needed a drink. The black hedgehog went downstairs and went to get him some hot chocolate.

He was in the kitchen when he heard a noise. It seemed to come from the living room. He cautiously made his way till he was outside the door. Light was coming through the crack and he could here somebody inside. He opened the door, expecting to see one of the others but no one was there.

"What the…" he started to say until he saw that the cookies that Cream left out were gone. Next to them was a card with his name on it. He picked it up and opened it. Inside it said:

_Dear Shadow,_

_I understand you've been having trouble getting used to Christmas, so let me explain. While some people may have suffered, Christmas is a time for friends and family to comfort them. It is a time for people to show how much they care for one another. People give presents to show love, not to get something in return or because they have to. I hope this has taught you something tonight_

_Merry Christmas from Santa_

_P.S Here's something to help you get some joy out of tomorrow_

Shadow then noticed the mistletoe taped inside the card. He remembered what the Commander said.

"If two people are under it, it's traditional for them to kiss."

Shadow knew what to do next.

* * *

It was now the following morning and everybody was underway in opening the presents as Rouge arrived.

"You guys could've waited for me" she said, slightly annoyed.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't resist!" Sonic cried. "By the way, thanks Cream for the shoes."

Rouge then noticed something. "Where's Shadow?"

Everyone glanced at the front door. Rouge noticed that the iron bar was missing.

"I don't believe it" sighed Rouge.

"Well, we tried" said Tails. "Let's not let this get us down. Amy, why don't you open your present."

"I can't" said Amy. "There's nothing else under the tree!"

"But," started Sonic, "That means…"

Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal Shadow with a present under his arm. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Shadow!" everybody gasped.

"What, you thought I was gonna turn this down?" he smirked.

Everybody then smiled as Shadow joined the group as he handed Amy the present. "Merry Christmas, Amy."

The rosy hedgehog took the present and gave Shadow a hug as thanks.

"Aw, look at that" Sonic mocked. "Shadow does have a heart. We told you that you'd like Christmas."

Shadow returned the smirk. "You mock me now, hedgehog. But I have the last laugh."

He then pointed up and Sonic saw that he and Amy were under the mistletoe. He gulped as Amy ushered forward.

"Go on, Sonic" Shadow sneered. "It's tradition!"

"Well… I… uh…" Sonic stammered as Amy got closer. "I've gotta test these shoes out! See ya." Suddenly; in a flash of blue, he was off.

"Oh, I was so close!" Amy wailed as she sat back down. "Well, thanks for the present Shadow." Amy began to unwrap the present and was shocked to find a pair of cyan shoes.

"Aren't these the ones that let you run as fast as Sonic and cost half a million rings?" asked Amy.

Shadows nodded before grabbing the mistletoe and handing it to her, "Well, go on then!"

Amy squealed in delight before putting the shoes on, grabbing the plant and dashing outside. The others followed her and when they were outside, they saw the two dash past again, with Sonic yelling "Damn you, Shadow!"

Shadow did nothing but burst out laughing as Rouge stared at him. "Well, Shadow. What do you think about Christmas now?"

Shadow looked at her and then the others before saying,

"Where's my present?"

**Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!**


End file.
